Locations: Osprey Point, Ibis Pond, Willet Pond, Ocean Course clubhouse area and beach

Notes:  Great birding today.  A big flock of 15+ hooded mergansers greated us at the small Osprey Point pond, along with an assortment of herons, egrets, cormorants, and anhingas.  We then circled around to see the unusually large amounts of pelicans, cormorants, and ring-billed gulls that had congregated in the large pond between Osprey Point and Bufflehead Drive.  While we were there, a male American kestrel delighted us by perching in a nearby pine tree.  He left and returned with a grasshopper, which he then ate quickly but not so neatly, flicking pieces of exoskeleton in the air as he went.  He sat with us for a while before a bluejay chased him off.  The 30 redheads were still at Ibis Pond today and the usual crowd of grebes, herons, yellowlegs, etc were at Willet Pond.  Quite a few savannah sparrows mixed in with all the song sparrows.  The high tide limited our shorebird numbers but we did get to compare the differences between dunlin and sanderling on the wing.

Species List: Redhead, Hooded Merganser, Pied-billed Grebe, Double-Crested Cormorant, Anhinga, Brown Pelican, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Little Blue Heron, Tricolored Heron, Black-crowned Night Heron, Turkey Vulture, Osprey, Red-shouldered Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, American Kestrel, Clapper Rail, Common Moorhen, American Coot, Black-bellied Plover, Greater Yellowlegs, Sanderling, Western Sandpiper, Dunlin, Laughing Gull, Ring-billed Gull, Caspian Tern, Foster’s Tern, Belted Kingfisher, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Eastern Phoebe, Blue Jay, Fish Crow, American Crow, Carolina Chickadee, Carolina Wren, Eastern Bluebird, Northern Mockingbird, European Starling, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Savannah Sparrow, Song Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, Northern Cardinal, Red-winged Blackbird

Photo by Island Guest Carla Maddox

Due to their burrowing and nocturnal nature, spadefoot toads can be difficult to find on Kiawah.  The best time to see them is after heavy rain – our wet El Nino winter will create some good spadefoot nights.  It is easy to tell apart the spadefoot from our more common Southern toad: the Eastern spadefoot is our only amphibian with vertical pupils, like those of a cat or alligator.  It also tends to have more green, smooth skin than a Southern toad, which has a rough skin that comes in shades of brown.  Finally, the Eastern spadefoot is named for the large dark spur on its well-webbed hind feet; they are excellent strong diggers, and will try to burrow into your hand if you hold it.  Make sure to wash your hands after handling one, as spadefoots produce a substance through their skin glands that may cause allergic reactions in both humans and other animals.

Photo by Jamie Rood

The first Buffleheads of the season were spotted at Ibis Pond.

Photo of male Hooded Mergansers by Jamie Rood

Saw my first Juncos of the season this morning at Mingo Point.  Winter is here!

Notes: No turkeys on our Thanksgiving Back Island Birding today, though we did see a few turkey vultures.  Gorgeous sunny day today after many long gray days.  Many animals were out sunning themselves, from birds to alligators to butterflies – this is what being in a naturalist in the Lowcountry is all about!  Birds of the day were a flock of Eastern meadowlarks and a clapper rail sunning itself in the marsh, both at Willet Pond.  The birds that took the cake for sheer beauty today were the meadowlarks, a pair of male hooded mergansers on the pond at Osprey Point, a Caspian tern fishing Willet Pond, and a cooperative male kingfisher in full light at Willet Pond.

Species List: Hooded Merganser, Pied-billed Grebe, Double-crested Cormorant, Anhinga, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Little Blue Heron, Tricolored Heron, White Ibis, Turkey Vulture, Osprey, Northern Harrier, Red-tailed Hawk, Clapper Rail, Common Moorhen, Greater Yellowlegs, Western Sandpiper, Caspian Tern, Belted Kingfisher, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Eastern Phoebe, Blue Jay, Fish Crow, American Crow, Tree Swallow, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Wren, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Eastern Bluebird, Northern Mockingbird, European Starling, Pine Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Song Sparrow, Northern Cardinal, Eastern Meadowlark, Common Grackle, American Goldfinch

Photo of female Belted Kingfisher by Jamie Rood

Notes: Low on songbirds but high on pond, marsh, and beach birds today.  Highlights today included a gorgeous male Hooded Merganser back for the winter, a Harrier dive-bombing a flock of white ibis (apparently for fun because it was a very half-hearted attempt), a great look at a Wilson’s Snipe, and Belted Kingfishers galore.  The snipe was particularly exciting because, although fairly common in wetland areas, it has excellent camouflage and can be tricky to find.  This one was showing off its gorgeous stripes and ridiculously long bill on an open mudflat.

Species List: Hooded Merganser, Pied-billed Grebe, Double-crested Cormorant, Anhinga, Brown Pelican, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Little Blue Heron, Tricolored Heron, Black-crowned Night Heron, White Ibis, Wood Stork, Turkey Vulture, Osprey, Northern Harrier (female), Clapper Rail, Common Moorhen, Black-bellied Plover, Semipalmated Plover, Killdeer, Greater Yellowlegs, Sanderling, Western Sandpiper, Least Sandpiper, Dunlin, Wilson’s Snipe, Laughing Gull, Ring-billed Gull, Herring Gull, Forster’s Tern, Royal Tern, Black Skimmer, Mourning Dove, Belted Kingfisher, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Eastern Phoebe, Blue Jay, Fish Crow, American Crow, Tree Swallow, Carolina Chickadee, Carolina Wren, Northern Mockingbird, European Starling, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Song Sparrow, Red-winged Blackbird.

The Atlantic coast’s red knot numbers have plummeted in the last 20 years as a direct result of horseshoe crab overharvesting.  Horseshoe crabs come up each spring to Delaware Bay beaches to lay their eggs; red knots time their migration to coincide with this ritual so that they can feed upon the rich, fatty horseshoe crab eggs.  Because the horseshoe crab population has been drastically reduced due to being commercially harvested as bait and fertilizer, many red knots starve to death before they can reach the Arctic Circle.  Other species that depend on the horseshoe crabs and have dropped in numbers are the ruddy turnstone, sanderling, semipalmated sandpiper, dunlin, and short-billed dowitcher.

The red knot is not federally endangered or threatened, and without rapid action to protect both the red knots and the horseshoe crabs they depend on, we may lose this bird entirely.  New Jersey has taken several steps to address red knot decline but the unlimited horseshoe crab harvest still occurs annually in Delaware, Maryland, New York, and Virginia.

Photo by Jamie Rood

Photo by Rachel Crosby, Heron Park Nature Center Staff.

Photo by Jamie Rood.

Let’s remember to continue being respectful of the mother alligators and their young on the island by not harassing or feeding them as they prepare to overwinter together.

Photo by Jamie Rood

As strong and fast fliers with rapid wing beats, hovering in front of a flower while sipping nectar through their extended proboscis, it’s no wonder these medium to large moths are often confused with hummingbirds. In fact the Tersa Sphinx Moth belongs to a family of moths called Sphingidae, whose members are commonly referred to as “hummingbird”, “hawk”, or “sphinx” moths.

Adult Tersa Sphinx Moths fly as a single brood in the northern United States from May-October and as several broods in Florida and Louisiana from February to November. However, the habitat range of this moth is massive, stretching from Massachusetts to southern Florida and west to Nebraska and New Mexico in the United States, and down through Mexico and Central America to Argentina.

Photo by Naturalist Tim Pifer.

Click here for more information.

This fall’s banding produced a nice variety of rare or uncommon birds.  The bird to brag about was a Yellow-bellied Flycatcher.  This olive-green bird breeds in the boreal forests of Canada and winters in Central America; while migrating from one to the other, they are usually spotted only in the far Appalachian tip of South Carolina.  Occasional birds – those that are only spotted a few times in fall – included Yellow-throated Vireo, Swainson’s Thrush, Veery, Gray-cheeked Thrush, Blue-winged Warbler, Orange Crowned Warbler, Cape May Warbler, Magnolia Warbler, Worm-eating Warbler, Blackpoll Warbler, and Baltimore Oriole.  Uncommon but more regular birds included Common Ground Dove, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Eastern Wood-Pewee, Hermit Thrush, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Hooded Warbler, and Indigo Bunting.

While discovering rarities and getting solid numbers of this fall’s bird visitors is important, long-term bird banding programs are essential for conservation because we can track bird populations over time.  Comparing populations over time give scientists a good picture of increasing, decreasing, or stable bird populations.  As the habitats change – whether by natural forces like a hurricane or human forces like development – we will be able to see the impact of that change on our songbird population.

Click here to view photos and our Town Biologists’ complete report.

A special thank you to all Kiawah’s Nest Box volunteers!

Keeping an ootheca over winter and watching it hatch is a fun project.  As the small size of nymphs makes them difficult to feed, its best to release them in your garden and keep an eye out for your growing brood in the summer.

Spoonbills are becoming increasingly more “common” along the coast of South Carolina.  There have been many sightings this year from the ACE Basin to Huntington Beach State Park.  In fact, Dewees Island hosted up to 14 birds at one time for much of the summer (I believe their first bird showed up in April!).  It’s no surprise that Kiawah has had a few sightings here or there over the years but I wonder why we haven’t had more of them.    We must be missing the something important in their habitat preference (e.g. water depth, food source, etc.) because it seems the few spoonbills that have stopped at Kiawah don’t stay very long.

To report spoonbill sightings on Kiawah please contact the Nature Center at Nature_Program@kiawahresort.comThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or 843.768.6001.

They are still choosing to hang out near the bridge that leads to Night Heron Park and feeding as much as they can on insects, worms, minnows, and other small critters before it gets too cold.  This is at least the third clutch of the mother alligator in this part of the pond, and she appears to be doing a better job than last year: at least seven babies have been seen together along the side of the pond, along with the sole surviving yearling from last year’s clutch.  She may take a break from breeding next fall, as laying all those eggs and guarding all those active young is a lot of work for our only reptile with a maternal streak!

Sheepshead teeth bear an eerie resemblance to human teeth – and apparently sheep teeth, because a fish named “humanshead” would be too weird even for science.  Their several rows of teeth are shaped that way to crush the hard shells of their favorite foods, mollusks and crustaceans.  They are usually found around piers and other man-made structures and are best caught using fiddler crabs as bait.  While difficult to clean, they are very tasty.

To make a sanderling’s winter visit to Kiawah as peaceful as your own, please allow them to forage and rest without being disturbed by bikes or dogs.

Photo by Jamie Rood

Caterpillars of the Cabbage White, or Imported Cabbageworm Butterfly, as it is commonly known, feed mostly on the leaves of cruciferous vegetables, a group of edible plants in the family Brassicaceae which include cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprout, kale, horseradish, and mustard seeds. Although they prefer leafy foliage, Cabbage White larvae will also burrow into the heads of broccoli and cabbage; so keep an eye out for these critters next time you cook and serve heads of broccoli.

Recognizing that our garden lacked members of the caterpillars preferred food group, we contacted Kiawah Island Golf Resort’s landscaping department, and Pete Nelson from Sanctuary Landscaping was quick to offer some decorative cabbages and our Heron Park Landscaping team took over the planting.  Members of the recreation staff carefully plucked over 100 hungry caterpillars off our vegetables and transplanted them to the new decorative cabbages where they will continue to gorge before overwintering in the pupa, or chrysalis, stage.

With our garden yielding a bounty of scrumptious greens, including collards, herbs, and even an eggplant, we keep a close eye on the Cabbage White caterpillars and await the wonderful white end-product of their metamorphosis in the spring time.

Notes: The list is huge because we offered two bird tours today, with a focus on songbirds in the morning and shorebirds in the afternoon.  I saw many firsts of the season today for our bird trips: yellow-bellied sapsucker, ruby-crowned kinglet, savannah sparrow, and song sparrow.  Probably our last chimney swifts of the season too, I was surprised to find three over Killdeer Pond.  We spotted our female wild turkey from a few weeks ago again, this time near Willet Pond!  Other higlights include a close fly-by by a bald eagle, a pair of piping plovers very close to us, a huge flock of skimmers, a wood stork resting on its ‘heels’, and kingfishers galore.

Species List: Wild Turkey, Pied-billed Grebe, Double-crested Cormorant, Anhinga, Brown Pelican, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Little Blue Heron, Tricolored Heron, Black-crowned Night Heron, White Ibis, Wood Stork, Turkey Vulture, Osprey, Bald Eagle, Red-shouldered Hawk, Clapper Rail, Common Moorhen, Black-bellied Plover, Piping Plover, Greater Yellowlegs, Sanderling, unidentified sandpiper species (western?), Laughing Gull, Ring-billed Gull, Herring Gull, Forster’s Tern, Royal Tern, Black Skimmer, Mourning Dove, Chimney Swift, Belted Kingfisher, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Downy Woodpecker, Blue-headed Vireo, Blue Jay, American Crow, Tree Swallow, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Brown-headed Nuthatch, Carolina Wren, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Eastern Bluebird, Gray Catbird, Northern Mockingbird, European Starling, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Palm Warbler, Savannah Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Northern Cardinal, Red-winged Blackbird.

If coyotes make it to Kiawah, their arrival will have several impacts on our local wildlife.  While most of their diet consists of small mammals, they are opportunistic predators and will prey upon reptiles, birds, and deer.  As we no longer have red wolves, another predator to help control raccoon and deer populations would be beneficial.  On the other hand, coyotes on Kiawah would have a negative impact upon our bobcat population, as they compete with bobcats for food and will prey upon the smaller females and juveniles.  Their territorial nature also makes them a threat to fox populations, though the gray fox has the ability to climb trees to escape.  And while coyotes are shy around people, they have been known to take cats and small dogs from yards if the pets are left unsupervised.

Photo by Jamie Rood

Species List: pied-billed grebe, double-crested cormorant, anhinga, brown pelican, great blue heron, great egret, snowy egret, little blue heron, tricolored heron, black-crowned night heron, white ibis, wood stork, turkey vulture, osprey, clapper rail, black-bellied plover, sanderling, laughing gull, forster’s tern, royal tern, red-bellied woodpecker, northern flicker, pileated woodpecker, blue jay, fish crow, american crow, carolina chickadee, tufted titmouse, carolina wren, blue-gray gnatcatcher, eastern bluebird, gray catbird, northern mockingbird, brown thrasher, european starling, palm warbler, northern cardinal, baltimore oriole.

As you explore our island, if you are fortunate to find a shellback crab, please do not remove it from its protective shell, enjoy the wonders of nature and gently return it to the water.

Barred owls, which are present on Kiawah but in very small numbers compared to the great horned, are setting up territories now though not courting to the extent that the great horned are.  They make a barking sound that sounds very dog like and a call that sounds like “Whoooo cooks for yooouuu?  Whoo cooks for youuu-allll?”.  They’re present in larger numbers on Johns Island but don’t do as well in heavily developed areas unless there’s a natural wetland nearby.

Our last breeding owl is the eastern screech owl.  Most people who see one think they are a baby great horned owl but they are just small adult owls – remember baby owls are fluffy and look nothing like adults.  Screech owls are also calling now, but usually once it is completely dark, because they are preyed upon by great horned owls, which are more active at dusk.  I do hear them at dawn though.  Screech owls sound like a cross between a ghost and a horse, a descending eerie call or a steady stacatto.

Roosting screech owl photo by Jamie Rood

There are plenty of mullet and shrimp in the river now and there seems to be more menhaden now than in past weeks. Fishing has been good with Redfish, Sheepshead, Trout, Flounder and Bonnetheads being caught. The dolphins have been strand feeding almost every day this week. The pod is mostly females with young.

The apparent larger size is because the brain perceives a low-hanging moon to be larger than one that’s high in the sky. This is known as a Moon Illusion and it can be seen with any full moon. It can also be seen with constellations; in other words, a constellation viewed low in the sky will appear bigger than when it is high in the sky.

For more information about the complicated world of butterfly migration, check out this introduction. The Kiawah Island Golf Resort Marathon recently created a new wildlife garden in recognition for our 2009 marathon winners.  Our hope is that this garden will inspire and educate others to create a wildlife habitat in their own community.  To learn more, click here.

Photo of White peacock by Jamie Rood.  Photo for reference, species not currently present on kiawah.

Our survey included the following, a star denotes a new species for our list!

2 Black Swallowtail, 25 Palamedes Swallowtail, 1 Cabbage White, 40 Cloudless Sulphur, 5 Little Yellow, 5 Sleepy Orange, 3 Gray Hairstreak, 100 Gulf Fritillaries, 10 Common Buckeyes, 10 Phaon Crescents, 2 Little Wood Satyrs*, 1 Monarch, 20 Long-tailed Skippers, 3 Horace’s Duskywings, 2 Zarucco Duskywings*, 1 White-checkered Skipper, 15 Tropical Checkered Skippers, 50 Fiery Skippers, 10 Whirlabouts, 3 Clouded Skippers*, 1 Dun Skipper*, 1 Eufala Skipper, 2 Twin-spotted Skippers*, 10 Salt Marsh Skippers, 10 Ocola Skippers.

These gentle creatures, distant relatives of elephants, are completely herbivorous.  It is the manatee that gave rise to the legend of mermaids, thanks to the vivid imaginations of lonely sailors on the ocean for months.  Manatees are on the federal endangered species list for several reasons: pollution, habitat destruction and alteration, and motor boat strikes are the top three.  Their slow reproductive rate combined with a high death rate from watercraft strikes makes it difficult for the manatee population to remain stable, let alone grow.  The current Florida population is estimated at 1000-3000, so it was an honor and a once-in-a-lifetime experience to see one here at Kiawah!

While females are famous for preying upon their mates, this behavior is a byproduct of captivity.  It has been observed in the wild, but much more rarely than we are led to believe.  Females are usually larger in size, with larger abdomens, and don’t fly as frequently as the males do.  The mantis is an ambush predator that catches its prey by pinnning it with the spikes on its forelimbs.  This movement is so fast that it can only be seen by slow-motion cameras!

We have three main species of large mantids and a few smaller ones as well: one native (Carolina, Stagmomantis carolina) and two introduced as pest control experiments in the late 1800s (European, Mantis religiosa; Chinese, Tenodera aridifolia).  European mantids have a black spot behind its front limb, while Carolina mantids are usually small and brown.  Chinese mantids can grow to 5″ long and come in both green and brown.  You can currently visit our resident female Chinese mantid in the nature center; unfortunately, the maximum lifespan for a mantid is spring-fall, but we have hopes that our mantid may lay an ootheca!  (Mantid egg sac).

The hatchlings weigh in at a few ounces while their mother is probably around 200-250 pounds. At least six of the baby alligators have been seen at one time, but their number is difficult to count due to the dense vegetation around the pond. Our naturalists observed one baby attempting to eat a full-grown Carolina mantis that it had caught, so you may also be able to observe feeding behavior. Alligator hatchlings eat just about anything they can catch that is small enough to fit down its throat – invertebrates and small vertebrates such as insects and minnows. Despite their mother’s fierce attention, baby alligators face a high predation rate within the first few weeks of life. Predators include birds, raccoons, large fish, and other alligators. Today our hatchlings are 11 days old.

Photo of hatching on mother gator by Jamie Rood.

Photo by Liz King.

Photograph by unkown Kiawah guest.

Thanks to my guidebook, I also learned that the old story of viceroys mimicking the monarch is false; both monarchs and viceroys are poisonous, though for different reasons.  Monarchs get their poison from milkweed and viceroys from trees in the willow family.  Rather than the viceroys benefiting from mimicking the monarch, it looks like both benefit from mimicking each other.

We have also been seeing great dolphin and osprey action.  Last week, most of our kayak trips saw strand feeding and we even saw a dolphin jump completely out of the water.  Naturalist Scott Fister saw an eagle steal a mullet from an osprey, and Captain Mike has regularly been seeing mature eagles out at Sandy Point.

The annual mullet run should happen in mid September to early October and we will see tons of strand feeding as well as sharks and tarpon feeding on the mullet.  It won’t be long till early winter when the adult males are asked to subdivide from the pod to give moms and juveniles a chance to bond and allow fishing lessons to go on a full time schedule.

Photo by Sarah Latshaw, Naturalist and Research Biologist for the Kiawah Conservancy

I saw my first zebra longwing of the summer in the sanctuary gardens today. This species was relatively common last year but I heard they’re fairly erratic in population here because they are northern wanderers from Florida.  Could be we just get a few this year or maybe we’ll have another bumper crop – keep your eyes out for them!  Their long wings are completely unique and distinctive to our area.

Notes: Bird of the day was a kestrel flying right over the Ocean Course clubhouse.  We also found a dead Northern Waterthrush that had hit a window.  This is a spring/fall migrant that I have yet to see on Kiawah and wish it could have been under happier circumstances.  Lots of birds in and around Killdeer Pond but because there was no wind, the mosquitoes were out and we didn’t linger.

Species List: Brown Pelican, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Little Blue Heron, Tricolored Heron, Black-crowned Night Heron (juv), Wood Stork, Osprey, American Kestrel, Black-bellied Plover, Semipalmated Plover, American Oystercatcher, Willet, Ruddy Turnstone, Sanderling, Western Sandpiper, Laughing Gull, Caspian Tern, Forster’s Tern, Royal Tern, Sandwich Tern, Black Skimmer, Belted Kingfisher, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Blue Jay, Fish Crow, American Crow, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Wren, Northern Mockingbird, Northern Parula, Pine Warbler, Northern Waterthrush (deceased – yellow plumage variation), Northern Cardinal.

Photo of juv. black-crowned night heron by Jamie Rood

Photo by Jamie Rood

Photo by Jamie Rood.

The most common butterflies we encountered over the last few days are cloudless sulphurs, palamedes swallowtails, gulf fritillaries, fiery skippers, and horace’s duskywings. Occasional guest appearances by phaon crescents, whirlabouts, and black swallowtails.

Phaon crescent photo by Naturalist Sarah Ernst.

Photo by Jamie Rood

To find its prey – clams, crabs, and other invertebrates are a favorite, and all usually buried deep in the mud or sand – a stingray is able to detect electric fields produced by the movement of the animal.  Once the prey is caught a stingray crushes it using teeth shaped more like bony plates than the pointy, ripping teeth of its shark relatives.

Photo by Captain John Ward

Photo by Jamie Rood

Notes: The Ocean Course was the happening spot today; highlights included a pair of loggerhead shrikes and a nice variety of shorebirds in all sorts of plumage variations – summer, winter, immature, and molts in between – so it was a good opportunity to study them.  We saw Aaron Given, our Town Biologist, doing a piping plover survey; he helped to confirm my ID of Western Sandpiper on a mysterious small peep.  Lots of osprey all over the place.  At Killdeer Pond we saw an immature Great Blue Heron standing in the middle of the path, looking very much like a gawky, unkempt teenager.

Species: Brown Pelican, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Tricolored Heron, Green Heron, Black-crowned Night Heron, Wood Stork, Turkey Vulture, Osprey, Black-bellied Plover, Semipalmated Plover, Piping Plover, Killdeer, Willet, Greater Yellowlegs, Ruddy Turnstone, Sanderling, Western Sandpiper, Least Sandpiper, Laughing Gull, Herring Gull, Royal Tern, other terns that were too far away for me to ID, Black Skimmer, Mourning Dove, Belted Kingfisher, Loggerhead Shrike, Blue Jay, American Crow, Barn Swallow, possible other swallows too far up for me to ID, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Northern Mockingbird, Northern Cardinal.

Photo of Willet by Jamie Rood

Notes: Bird of the day was a beautiful prothonotary warbler!  This is a stunning bird that all bird lovers should try see at least once if they regularly visit the southeast in spring-summer.  It nests in swamps like the Audubon Society’s Frances Beidler Forest, but is occasionally seen on Kiawah before and during migration.  It was difficult to see but I finally saw enough of its field marks to make a more-or-less positive identification.  Let’s just say I’m 95% sure.

Species: Anhinga, Brown Pelican, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Little Blue Heron, Tricolored Heron, Green Heron, Black-crowned Night Heron, White Ibis, Wood Stork, Osprey, Turkey Vulture, Clapper Rail, Black-bellied Plover (still in breeding plumage), Killdeer, Willet, Sanderling, some other unidentified shorebird species far off in the distance, Laughing Gull, Least Tern, Royal Tern, Mourning Dove, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Eastern Kingbird, Blue Jay, Fish Crow, American Crow, Barn Swallow, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmosue, Carolina Wren, Eastern Bluebird, Northern Mockingbird, European Starling, Prothonotary Warbler, Northern Cardinal, Red-winged Blackbird, Boat-tailed Grackle, Orchard Oriole.

This snake, while small in size, is an adult. Baby copperheads have bright yellow tails that fade as they age, and the plain tail of the photographed copperhead tells us that it has passed 3 years of age. An average copperhead only makes it to two and a half feet in length – definitely on the smaller side for snakes. Baby copperheads are actually more dangerous than adult copperheads because they will always use venom when they bite – they can’t control it. The older, larger copperheads can control how much venom they use and sometimes will not use any at all.  (I would not go out and test this theory, though!).

To learn more about Kiawah’s snakes visit the Nature Center at Night Heron Park.

This photo, by Naturalist Sarah Latshaw, shows a female alligator intently keeping her eyes on her incubating eggs.

Notes: Bird of the day was a beautiful prothonotary warbler!  This is a stunning bird that all bird lovers should try see at least once if they regularly visit the southeast in spring-summer.  It nests in swamps like the Audubon Society’s Frances Beidler Forest, but is occasionally seen on Kiawah before and during migration.  It was difficult to see but I finally saw enough of its field marks to make a more-or-less positive identification.  Let’s just say I’m 95% sure.

Species: Anhinga, Brown Pelican, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Little Blue Heron, Tricolored Heron, Green Heron, Black-crowned Night Heron, White Ibis, Wood Stork, Osprey, Turkey Vulture, Clapper Rail, Black-bellied Plover (still in breeding plumage), Killdeer, Willet, Sanderling, some other unidentified shorebird species far off in the distance, Laughing Gull, Least Tern, Royal Tern, Mourning Dove, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Eastern Kingbird, Blue Jay, Fish Crow, American Crow, Barn Swallow, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmosue, Carolina Wren, Eastern Bluebird, Northern Mockingbird, European Starling, Prothonotary Warbler, Northern Cardinal, Red-winged Blackbird, Boat-tailed Grackle, Orchard Oriole.

Female Fiery Skipper – normally those translucent patches on her wings aren’t there but she is a worn individual, probably reaching a good ripe old age of a month or so.

This green lynx spider was caught in the Sanctuary gardens by a young guest on a Birds and Butterflies Tour. One of our largest spiders, green lynx spiders spend most of their time hanging out among flowers and shrubs, waiting for their prey to seek out the nectar. Insects are large as butterflies and bumble bees are on the menu for this agile, powerful spider. We were able to see her jump from leaf to leaf once we returned her to the garden. Green lynx spiders have large appetites for pesky insects and are a great natural pest control in gardens free of insecticides. While like all spiders they do have fangs, they are shy spiders and rarely bite people. In fact, ours allowed me to pick her up and put her on my finger without attempting to bite me..

It’s a fascinating creature to study: it has several different types of eyes located on both the top and bottom half of the body; it has bright blue copper-based blood used in medical research; and the annual deposits of horseshoe crab eggs in beach sand plays an essential role in shorebird migration. This one is a female; males have large boxing-glove-shaped claspers on the front pair of claws to hold onto the female during mating.  Sometimes on the Pluff Mud Paddle kayak trip, our naturalists have seen a chain of one large female and 2 or 3 smaller males scooting along the river bottom!

In some areas of the country, the population of horseshoe crabs is declining severely due to overharvesting for bait and fertilizer.  The subsequent decline of eggs laid plays a role in the decline of shorebirds like the Red Knot, which depends on eggs during migration, and sea turtles like the Loggerhead, which depends on horseshoe crabs as part of its’ diet. Luckily, awareness of this issue has been growing and in some states, local steps are being taken to limit the harvest of horseshoe crabs.

Photo by Joe Pezzullo

Notes: Low on songbirds but high on shorebirds today – just too hot to go anywhere but windy places. Lots of tricolored herons and snowy egrets in Killdeer Pond. We then went to Willet Pond and walked all the way around the lagoon at the eastern end of the driving range, then back along the beach to the Ocean Course clubhouse. The highlights for me were seeing my first piping plover of the season and some black-bellied plovers in full breeding plumage. We also saw some least terns with the black bills of non-breeding plumage, and it took me a few minutes to figure out what they were since I’m so used to those bright yellow bills of summer breeding plumage! In non-avian fauna, we saw a fawn in the dunes and a poor southeastern crowned snake squished in the road. These secretive, tiny snakes don’t get much longer than 5-9 inches.

Species: Anhinga, Brown Pelican, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Little Blue Heron, Tricolored Heron, Green Heron, Black-crowned Night Heron, White Ibis, Wood Stork, Osprey, Common Moorhen, Black-bellied Plover, Semipalmated Plover, Piping Plover, Killdeer, Black-necked Stilt, Willet, Ruddy Turnstone, Sanderling, Laughing Gull, Least Tern, Royal Tern, Black Skimmer, Crow sp., Barn Swallow, Carolina Wren, European Starling, Northern Cardinal, Boat-tailed Grackle

Photo by Betsy Giduz

Look for more details in our August edition of Nature Notes. To subscribe to the Kiawah Island Nature Program’s Nature Notes, simply email us at Nature_Program@kiawahresort.comThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Photo by Jamie Rood

Notes: Ibis Pond had lots of wading birds including several Wood Storks. The back side Willet Pond yielded a very cooperative Least Bittern. We ended the trip by watching a beautiful male painted bunting (see May 5th for photo) eating millet from one of the Sanctuary’s feeder.

43 Species: Brown Pelican, Least Bittern, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Little Blue Heron, Tricolored Heron, Green Heron, Black-crowned Night Heron, White Ibis, Glossy Ibis, Wood Stork, Turkey Vulture, Osprey, Red-tailed Hawk, Clapper Rail, Common Moorhen, Black-bellied Plover, Greater Yellowlegs, Sanderling, Laughing Gull, Ring-billed Gull, Gull-billed Tern, Forster’s Tern, Least Tern, Royal Tern, Mourning Dove, Common Ground Dove, Common Nighthawk, Belted Kingfisher, Blue Jay, American Crow, Barn Swallow, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Wren, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Northern Mockingbird, Northern Cardinal, Painted Bunting, Red-winged Blackbird, Boat-tailed Grackle, Orchard Oriole.

Photo by island guest B. Sherrod from Maryville,TN

Photo by island resident and Kiawah Conservancy Trustee, Pam Cohen.

To find the answer to this question, biologists from the KICA Lakes Department and the Town conduct annual alligator population surveys.  The survey’s route covers 34 miles as spotters shine spotlights on ponds and pond edges, looking for the reflections of alligator eyes.  For two consecutive nights, spotters count and estimate the size of every alligator they observe.  Biologists can estimate our island’s population based upon a scientific formula that takes into account the temperature of the water.  But more importantly, charting the results of the annual spotlight surveys allows us to observe any significant changes (i.e. increases or decreases) in our alligator population.

Kiawah has 183 brackish and freshwater ponds interspersed throughout the island. 
Photo by Betsy Giduz

Notes: We birded Willet Pond, the eastern end of the beach, and Killdeer Pond.  Willet Pond was full of wading birds (>100 Wood Storks).  Not certain if there was a fish kill or just good timing but I have never seen so many birds at Willet.  We had 51 species of birds – not bad considering we only birded the “woods” for about 10 minutes the rest of the time was at Willet and the beach.

Species List:  Double-crested cormorant, Anhinga, Brown Pelican, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Little Blue Heron, Tricolored Heron, Black-crowned Night-Heron, White Ibis, Glossy Ibis, Wood Stork, Turkey Vulture, Osprey, Mississippi Kite, Clapper Rail, Common Moorhen, Black-bellied Plover, Semipalmated Plover, Piping Plover, Killdeer, Black-necked Stilt, Willet, Greater Yellowlegs, Ruddy Turnstone, Sanderling, Semipalmated Sandpiper, Least Sandpiper, Laughing Gull, Ring-billed Gull, Gull-billed Tern, Forster’s Tern, Royal Tern, Least Tern, Black Skimmer, Belted Kingfisher, Downy Woodpecker, Eastern Kingbird, Blue Jay, Fish Crow, American Crow, Barn Swallow, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Brown-headed Nuthatch, Carolina Wren, Northern Mockingbird, Northern Cardinal, Painted Bunting, Red-winged Blackbird, Boat-tailed Grackle.

Photo by Jamie Rood

Photo by Sarah Latshaw, Resort Naturalist and Research Biologist for the Kiawah Conservancy.

Photo taken by the Heckel Family from Plano, Texas.

Nests: 122
False Crawls: 98
Relocated Nests: 61 (50%)
Estimated Eggs to Date: 7275
Hatched Eggs: 1035
Emerged Hatchlings: 863
Mean Incubation Duration: 58.4 days
Mean Clutch Size: 113.1 eggs

Photo by Pam Cohen, Kiawah resident and Kiawah Conservancy Trustee.

Jeff Stone
Ocean Course Superintendent

Species: Anhinga, Brown Pelican, Least Bittern, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Little Blue Heron, Tricolored Heron, Green Heron, Black-crowned Night Heron, White Ibis, Wood Stork, Turkey Vulture, Osprey, Clapper Rail, Common Moorhen, Black-bellied Plover, Killdeer, Black-necked Stilt, Lesser Yellowlegs, Whimbrel, Red Knot, Peep sp., Laughing Gull, Gull-billed Tern, Least Tern, Royal Tern, Common Ground Dove, Belted Kingfisher, Eastern Kingbird, Crow sp., Purple Martin, Barn Swallow, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Wren, Marsh Wren, Eastern Bluebird, Northern Mockingbird, European Starling, Northern Cardinal, Painted Bunting, Red-winged Blackbird, Boat-tailed Grackle.

Photo by Tom Giduz

From the South Carolina Aquarium…We couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful day to release 3 rehabilitated sea turtles! A crowd of 800 to 1000 people gathered on Kiawah Island Sunday to witness these majestic animals crawl into the warm, salty waters that is their home.

The Loggerhead named “Kiawah” pictured here was found washed up on Kiawah earlier this year. The juvenile debilitated loggerhead was admitted into the Aquarium’s Sea Turtle Hospital, hypoglycemic, moderately emaciated, dehydrated and covered in small barnacles, algae and skeleton shrimp indicated it had been lethargic for a long time. Fluid therapy, antibiotics, and dextrose were immediately administered. Supportive therapy continued and Kiawah began showing signs of improvement. By May 2009 the turtle was eating well and very active. Having added necessary weight and the bloodwork analyzed, Kiawah was one of three turtles released back into the ocean.

An eastern pygmy-blue, our smallest butterfly!  Wingspan is a mere 1.5 cm from tip to tip.  Look how teeny she is!  It is more brown than blue, but it does have a bit of powdery blue color on the face.  This is a coastal species only and the first time we’ve found it on a Birds and Butterflies trip, so it was an exciting catch – caught by our youngest guest!  Larval host plants are saltworts and glassworts.

Species: Anhinga, Brown Pelican, Least Bittern, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Tricolored Heron, Green Heron, White Ibis, Glossy Ibis, Turkey Vulture, Osprey, Common Moorhen, Black-bellied Plover, Black-necked Stilt, Lesser Yellowlegs, Peep Species (looked like semipalmated or western sandpiper), Laughing Gull, Gull-billed Tern, Caspian Tern, Least Tern, Royal Tern, Black Skimmer, Mourning Dove, Common Ground Dove, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Eastern Kingbird, Blue Jay, Fish Crow, American Crow, Barn Swallow, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Wren, Northern Mockingbird, European Starling, Summer Tanager, Northern Cardinal, Painted Bunting, Red-winged Blackbird, Boat-tailed Grackle

The Gulf fritillary is a medium-sized, orange butterfly with black markings. Its hindwings below are covered with silvery patches that easily distinguish it from monarchs. The Gulf fritillary is one of several migratory species in the Southeast. As fall approaches, adults begin a southward migration and are one of Kiawah’s most abundant fall butterflies.

The Center for Birds of Prey has helped heal many Kiawah raptors in the past and it is a great place to visit.  It is open Thursday-Saturday and offers guided walking tours and flight demonstrations.  For more information, directions, and admission costs visit their website at http://www.thecenterforbirdsofprey.org/.

Photo by Jamie Rood

“Trevor” the toad caught by Matthew on a Jr. Naturalist Herpetology tour.  We practiced safe snake handling skills then went to the Swamp Garden.  No snakes to be found today, but we did find a southern toad and a large american alligator, who startled everyone with a large thrash and splash – perhaps going after a passing fish or turtle.

Notes: Higher diversity than usual in Marsh Island Park, with lots of warblers, a summer tanager, and a towhee.  I couldn’t see the warblers very well but followed one around long enough to confirm it as an immature parula.  At Willet Pond we saw a half-grown fawn (still had baby spots) swimming across the water.  Also, I think this may be the first time that boat-tailed grackle has not been on the list!

Species List: Anhinga, Brown Pelican, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Tricolored Heron, Green Heron, Black-crowned Night Heron, Wood Stork, Osprey, Black-necked Stilt, Laughing Gull, Caspian Tern, Least Tern, Mourning Dove, Red-headed Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Blue Jay, Fish Crow, American Crow, Barn Swallow, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Brown-headed Nuthatch, Carolina Wren, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Eastern Bluebird, European Starling, Northern Parula, possibly other warbler sp. like a yellow-throated, Eastern Towhee, Summer Tanager, Northern Cardinal, Painted Burning, Red-winged Blackbird.

Bee populations in general have declined recently, both honey and bumble.  Many factors may be influencing this decline, from pesticides to habitat loss to climate change.  In the case of bumble bees, commercial production of bumble bees for use as pollinators in greenhouses may have a negative impact on native bees.  Luckily for bees, because they are such important pollinators of agricultural crops there is a significant amount of interest in discovering the causes of bee decline and solutions to prevent further losses.  To find out more about pollinator conservation, visit the Xerces Society’s resource page:  www.xerces.org/pollinator-conservation/

1. Sneak up behind the dragonfly.
2. To catch the dragonfly with your net by air, once the insect is in the net, flip the net so that a pocket is created.  This prevents the dragonfly from getting out while your net is still in the air.
3. To catch a dragonfly on the ground or a plant, flip the net over a perched dragonfly and tug on the top to encourage the insect to fly or crawl to the top of the net.
4. Mostly, steps 2 and 3 will be unsuccessful as dragonflies are uncannily fast and agile.  Try again, and again, and again!

Dragonflies and damselflies are delicate creatures and should be handled gently.  Always grasp the dragonfly at the base of the wings, not by the body or tips of the wings.  It’s best to watch someone catch and handle dragons first before trying yourself.  While dragonflies will attempt to bite when handled, they are usually too small to do more than deliver a light pinch.  Dragonflies WILL NOT BITE OR STING people when flying free; they can’t sting, and would much rather chomp down on mosquitos than humans!

The Baehr family fished the morning’s rising tide using live shrimp that were caught in the Kiawah River between trips on Tuesday. Chris Baehr got things started quickly by catching some  Spotted Sea Trout and a few baby sharks. Mike Baehr got a nice hit when his cork went down and turned out to have a nice Trout on it, which ended up being the biggest Trout we have caught this year.

Later in the trip, Chris hooked a nice Bonnethead on the float and finished the trip out by landing his biggest fish ever!

(See June 23rd, 17th, 16th, 15th and 11th for history on Mingo’s resuce and recovery).

The Sea Turtle Hospital is open to the public.  Meet current patients like Mingo, speak with sea turtle experts, and get a glimpse of what goes on behind-the-scenes at the sea turtle hospital.  For more information on hours and tours visit scaquarium.org.

Nesting report and photo by island guest Tom Giduz

Species List: Brown Pelican, Least Bittern, Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Little Blue Heron, Green Heron, Wood Stork, Turkey Vulture, Osprey, Killdeer, Black-necked Stilt, Willet, Laughing Gull, Caspian Tern, Least Tern, Black Skimmer, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Blue Jay, American Crow, Purple Martin, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Brown-headed Nuthatch, Carolina Wren, Marsh Wren, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Eastern Bluebird, Northern Mockingbird, Brown Thrasher, Northern Parula, Northern Cardinal, Painted Bunting, Red-winged Blackbird, Boat-tailed Grackle

Mola are pelagic fish that are rarely found close to shore.  The average size is 2000 pounds – about the same weight of a sedan – and they have been recorded at weights of more than 5000 pounds.  Much like the leatherback turtle, an insatiable appetite for vast amounts of jellyfish feeds that weight.  They are often observed basking on their side like a giant aquatic road kill.  This warms up their flat body more efficiently and may also attract birds to remove parasites from the skin.

Sadly this Mola had died before reaching our shores, but it’s an exciting opportunity for guests and naturalists to see a creature that is normally only seen as a sailboat decal!

Caterpillar host plants vary depending on what state you live in.  To discover some local native host plants you can plant in your own garden, consult a butterfly field guide or a book on gardening with butterflies, preferably one that is specific to your region.

Download map of Kiawah’s Osprey Nests (pdf.)

While primarily nocturnal predators of fish and aquatic invertebrates, night herons are opportunistic feeders and are known to be predators of small mammals, birds, and reptiles such as snakes or small alligators.  They are found on every continent except Australia and Antartica, making them one of the most widespread heron species, and populations are generally healthy.  Several unrelated species have red eyes here on Kiawah (common loons, red-eyed vireos, Cooper’s hawks, and of course night herons); whether red pigments in the iris serve some purpose for these birds or are just present by chance is still unknown.
 

Species List: Brown Pelican, Double-crested Cormorant, Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Green Heron, Black-crowned Night Heron, Wood Stork, Osprey, Cooper’s Hawk, Wilson’s Plover, Killdeer, Laughing Gull, Least Tern, Caspian Tern, Black Skimmer, Mourning Dove, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Great Crested Flycatcher, Eastern Kingbird, Blue Jay, American Crow, Barn Swallow, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Brown-headed Nuthatch, Carolina Wren, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Eastern Bluebird, Northern Mockingbird, Brown Thrasher, European Starling, Northern Cardinal, Painted Bunting, Red-winged Blackbird, Common Grackle, Boat-tailed Grackle, Orchard Oriole, House Finch
 

On a positive note, staff are able to pass a nutrition slurries around the obstruction and feces are being passed.

(See June 17th, 16th, 15th ,11th for history)

Notes: The highlight for me was seeing a blue-gray gnatcatcher from above while midway up our marsh tower.  Usually I catch a glimpse of these twitchy little birds as they flit above through dense foliage.  The new perspective reminded me how much I adore these bold little characters!  Another exciting sight was a huge mixed flock of wading birds at Willet Pond – I guessed over 100 snowy egrets, great egrets, little blue herons, tricolored herons, great blue herons, green herons, black-crowned night herons, wood storks, glossy ibis, and black-necked stilts.  It was the hopping spot this morning!

Species List: Brown Pelican, Anhinga, Green Heron, Great Egret, Tricolored Heron, Snowy Egret, Little Blue Heron, Great Blue Heron, Glossy Ibis, Wood Stork, Osprey, Turkey Vulture, Clapper Rail, Black-necked Stilt, Killdeer, Wilson’s Plover, Laughing Gull, Least Tern, Caspian Tern, Red-Bellied Woodpecker, Barn Swallows, Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Mourning Dove, Blue Jay, American Crow, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Wren, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Eastern Bluebird, Northern Mockingbird, Brown Thrasher, European Starling, Northern Parula, Boat-tailed Grackle, Orchard Oriole, Northern Cardinal, Painted Bunting, House Finch

“Sea pork” is the name given to this creature – a primitive chordate, or animal with a spinal cord.  While it’s difficult to believe based on physical appearance, sea pork is more closely related to fish than it is to the jellyfish, sponges, hydrozoans, and bryozoans that it resembles.  As a larva, a young sea pork resembles a tadpole.  It weakly swims around the ocean until it matures, undergoes metamorphasis, and settles down on the ocean floor along shallow coastal waters.  The mature sea pork is a colony of these animals (called zooids).  A rubbery “tunic” protects and secures the tiny bright red zooids.  The colony forms itself into a simple sponge-like water pump, removing nutrients and plankton from the water.  The sea pork that washes up on beach is usually dead, and the small zooids have fallen out of the rubbery pink tunic.  While inedible to us humans, sea pork is a favorite food for sharks, sting rays, and other bottom-feeding fish.  And though occasionally viewed as gross, these odd creatures are completely harmless to people, and may be beneficial when they provoke our wonder and curiousity.

Wood storks prey mostly on fish but will also take anything from small water beetles to young alligators and small mammals.  They can be seen feeding in the salt marsh and Kiawah’s saltier ponds such as Willet and Ibis Ponds.  While fairly easy to spot on Kiawah due to their large size, the wood stork is an endangered species.  The primary reason for its decline is assumed to be severe habitat loss in Florida.Photo by Garrett H.

Notes: Highlights include seeing a painted bunting pair MATING right in front of us on the road to the Ocean Course.  We also saw a red-shouldered hawk soaring high above us – not as common on Kiawah as their red-tailed cousins – got some great looks at the black-necked stilts, and spotted the glossy ibises again.  The juvenile little blue herons are switching over from their white plumage to blue, and the mottled effect is so pretty!

Species List: Brown Pelican, Green Heron, Great Egret, Tricolored Heron, Snowy Egret, Little Blue Heron, Glossy Ibis, Wood Stork, Osprey, Red-shouldered Hawk, Clapper Rail, Black-necked Stilt, Killdeer, Wilson’s Plover, Laughing Gull, Least Tern, Gull-billed Tern, Red-Bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Great Crested Flycatcher, Barn Swallows, another unidentified swallow (either a female purple martin or a rough-winged swallow, probably), Blue Jay, American Crow, Fish Crow, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Wren, Blue-gray gnatcatcher, Eastern bluebird, Brown Thrasher, European Starling, Yellowthroated Warbler, Northern Parula, Boat-tailed Grackle, Orchard Oriole, Northern Cardinal, Painted Bunting.

This bird was spotted and photographed on Captain Sam’s Spit at the western end of the island. Like many heron and egret species, both color phases of reddish egrets were nearly driven to extinction in the 1800s because of demand for their gorgeous feather plumes.  They have since made a slow and steady comeback.  However, the 21st century has brought several new threats to the species.  Pesticide runoff and other pollutants harm both the birds and their food supply.  Additionally, an increase in recreational use of their habitat has disturbed nesting and feeding behaviors.  Perhaps the most daunting threat, though, is habitat loss due to land development.  The reddish egret’s favorite property – marsh front and beachfront – is also in high demand by the people that love to watch the bird’s energetic antics.

This solid white reddish egret, photographed on Kiawah Island this week by John Moore, is even more rare than the normal dark-colored version seen earlier on the eastern half of Kiawah Island.  The white color stems from a recessive gene – two dark phase parents can produce a white phase chick, but two white phase parents can’t produce a dark phase chick.  The white phase may be increasing in proportion to the dark phase – while approximately 4% of reddish egrets were white in the 1950s, 10-20% are white today.  According to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, there are only 1500-2000 breeding pairs of reddish egrets in the United States.  These birds are threatened in Texas and are uncommon elsewhere.

(see June 11th, June 15th, June 16th for history)

The Kiawah Island Nature Program and the Sanctuary’s landscaping department are currently creating a new webpage: What’s In Bloom.  This site will focus on the Sanctuary Gardens and the plants that help support Kiawah native wildlife populations.  The site will be available later this summer.

Today we saw and/or caught cabbage whites, sachems, palamedes swallowtail, American painted lady, and a cloudywing.  Dragonflies/damselflies included a female blue dasher, a Halloween pennant, Eastern amberwings, Eastern forktails, and a small unidentified forktail.

Notes: Highlights include seeing a painted bunting pair feeding a young cowbird, an osprey pair preening each other in a dead tree, a fawn traveling across the salt marsh, and yet another visit from our cooperative young least bittern.

Species List: Brown Pelican, Anhinga, Double-crested Cormorant, Green Heron, Great Egret, Tricolored Heron, Least Bittern, Wood Stork, Osprey, Turkey Vulture, Black-necked Stilt, Killdeer, Wilson’s Plover, Laughing Gull, Least Tern, Royal Tern, Black Skimmer, Mourning Dove, Red-Bellied Woodpecker, Pileated Woodpecker (heard only), Blue Jay, American Crow, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Brown-headed Nuthatch, Carolina Wren,  Boat-tailed Grackle, Northern Cardinal, Brown-headed Cowbird, Painted Bunting, House Finch

We received an update from the South Carolina Turtle Hospital on the Green Sea Turtle rescued by our Naturalists last week (see June 11th).  Named “Mingo” by the hospital staff they report that he is very skinny, has a moderate barnacle load and is severely dehydrated. He is receiving daily fluids, antibiotics and vitamin injections.

 
(see June 11th for history)

Notes: Lots of dragonflies out today too!

Species List: Brown Pelican, Anhinga, Double-crested Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Green Heron, Great Egret, Tricolored Heron, Snowy Egret, Least Bittern, Wood Stork, Osprey, Common Moorhen, Black-necked Stilt, Killdeer, Wilson’s Plover, Laughing Gull, Least Tern, Black Skimmer, Mourning Dove, Red-Bellied Woodpecker, Northern Rough-Winged Swallow, Barn Swallow, Blue Jay, American Crow, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Brown-headed Nuthatch, Carolina Wren, Northern Mockingbird, Eastern Bluebird, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Red-winged Blackbird, Orchard Oriole, Boat-tailed Grackle, Northern Cardinal, Painted Bunting

The green sea turtle rescued by our naturalists was transported by Department of Natural Resources to the Aquarium’s Sea Turtle Hospital where it is currently undergoing evaluation.

To keep up to date on our turtle rescue, check back to this page regularly for updates and progress reports.

Notes: Bird of the day is glossy ibis, the first time this species has showed up on our feather reports.  We also saw a trio of green heron nestlings and some great looks at a painted bunting in perfect sunlight.  Least bitterns are still appearing on a regular basis, much to my surpise and delight!  Maybe finding them gets easier with practice.  I continue to see and hear northern parulas and yellowthroated warblers, but not in any locations that we go for Back Island Birding.

Species List: Brown Pelican, Anhinga, Double-crested Cormorant, Green Heron, Great Egret, Tricolored Heron, Least Bittern, Wood Stork, Glossy Ibis, Turkey Vulture, Osprey, Common Moorhen, Clapper Rail, Black-necked Stilt, Killdeer, Laughing Gull, Least Tern, Red-Bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Great Crested Flycatcher, Barn Swallow, Blue Jay, American Crow, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Brown-headed Nuthatch, Carolina Wren, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, European Starling, Pine Warbler, Red-winged Blackbird, Orchard Oriole, Boat-tailed Grackle, Northern Cardinal, Painted Bunting

Species List: Brown Pelican, Anhinga, Double-crested Cormornat, Great Blue Heron, Green Heron, Great Egret, Tricolored Heron, Black-Crowned Night Heron, Least Bittern, Wood Stork, Turkey Vulture, Osprey, Common Moorhen, Black-necked Stilt, Laughing Gull, Herring Gull, Least Tern, Caspian Tern, Black Skimmer, Ground Dove, Red-Bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Great Crested Flycatcher, Barn Swallow, Blue Jay, American Crow, Fish Crow, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Brown-headed Nuthatch, Carolina Wren, Northern Mockingbird, Brown Thrasher, Eastern Bluebird, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, European Starling, Pine Warbler, Red-winged Blackbird, Orchard Oriole, Boat-tailed Grackle, Northern Cardinal, Painted Bunting
 

Nests: 20
False Crawls: 8
Relocated nests: 11 (55%)
Eggs Counted: 1520
Eggs Lost: 12 (0.7%)
Mean Clutch Size: 138.1 eggs

News from the region…Edisto Beach State Park had a leatherback nest last week. Folly Beach has had a record breaking clutch count of 215 eggs!

Photo of nest relocation by Jamie Rood

American oystercatcher populations are low and, while not endangered, are listed as species of special concern in several states.  Their chief threat is habitat loss due to development and recreational uses of beaches – keeping your dog leashed along the beach during shorebird breeding season is a great way to help keep oystercatchers thriving on Kiawah!

Species List: Brown Pelican, Anhinga, Great Blue Heron, Green Heron, Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Wood Stork, Osprey, Common Moorhen, Black-necked Stilt, Killdeer,  Laughing Gull, Gull-billed Tern, Least Tern, Royal Tern, Mourning Dove, Red-Bellied Woodpecker, Pileated Woodpecker, Great Crested Flycatcher, Barn Swallow, Blue Jay, American Crow, Fish Crow, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Brown-headed Nuthatch, Carolina Wren, Brown Thrasher, Eastern Bluebird, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, European Starling, Pine Warbler, Red-winged Blackbird, Orchard Oriole, Boat-tailed Grackle, Northern Cardinal, Painted Bunting, House Finch

Butterflies: Pearl Crescent, Painted Lady, Monarch, Palamedes Swallowtail, Red-spotted Purple, Cabbage White, Sachem, and an unidentified dusky skipper.

Dragonflies and Damselflies: Eastern Forktail, Carolina Saddlebags, Blue Dasher, Eastern Pondhawk, and several other unidentified species

Other Critters: Grasshoppers and Katydids, Seven-Spotted ladybugs, Lovebugs, some unidentified microleps (small moths), Orchard spiders, and some young Golden Silk Spiders

Photo of Cabbage White by Jamie Rood

The fawn was approximately one hour old and about the size of a house cat. Fawns appear helpless and vulnerable; especially given the fact that the mother may leave them unattended for 18 to 20 hours per day.  However, there are several adaptations that allow for a strong success rate.  For example, the white spots act as camouflage stimulating sunspots that make their way through the trees.  They are also born without a scent thereby keeping predators from smelling them.

If you are fortunate to catch a glimpse of a new born fawn, take a brief moment to enjoy the magical experience, then quickly move on.  The mother is very attentive and will return periodically throughout the day.  However, not wanting to draw attention to her young she will not return if people are present.  Photo by Jamie rood

Notes: Highlight was an adult bald eagle hunting among the black-necked stilts at Willet Pond.  I was surprised to see it there since I haven’t seen any bald eagles in the last month.  We later saw it perched alone on the east end beach.

Guide: Sarah Ernst

Weather: Warm, partly cloudly, slight wind – beautiful!

Species List: Brown Pelican, Green Heron, Little Blue Heron, Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Tricolored Heron, Least Bittern, Bald Eagle, Osprey, Common Moorhen, Black-necked Stilt, Wilson’s Plover, Sanderling, Laughing Gull, Gull-billed Tern, Least Tern, Royal Tern, Mourning Dove, Red-Bellied Woodpecker, Eastern Kingbird, Barn Swallow, Blue Jay, American Crow, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Wren, Brown Thrasher, Nothern Mockingbird, Eastern Bluebird, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, European Starling, Pine Warbler, Red-winged Blackbird, Orchard Oriole, Boat-tailed Grackle, Brown-headed Cowbird, Northern Cardinal, House Finch.

Today, Town and Resort biologists conducted a shore bird nesting survey at Kiawah’s eastern end.  They estimated a total of 88 nests, from species including Wilson’s Plover, American Oystercatchers and Least Terns.   This nesting area has been posted with signs prohibiting entry for any reason.  Please do not disturb the birds in this area.  Kiawah Island is one of only 3 places in the entire state where least terns can be found nesting along the beachfront.  If you visit the area, please observe the birds with binoculars from a distance.

Learn how you can help protect Kiawah’s Nesting Shore Birds –Click Here (download.pdf)
Photo of Least Tern (SC threatened species) by Jamie Rood

Most baby birds found on Kiawah are not orphans but fledglings like this titmouse who are simply learning how to fly.  If you find a baby bird on the ground with open eyes and most of its feathers, it should be left where it is or moved to a safe spot in a nearby bush.  Its parents will be able to find it, take care of it, and teach it how to survive in the wild.  And the old wive’s tail of birds abandoning their young after being touched by humans is false because most birds have a poor sense of smell.

Photo of Wilson’s Plover (SC threatened species) by Jamie Rood

Nest box #1: 5 tiny chickadee babies – newly hatched
Nest box #4 – 1 chickadee egg — abandoned?
Nest box #5 – 5 bluebird eggs
Nest box #6 – 5 chickadee eggs
Nest box #9 – 6 chickadee babies – already have white stripe on neck.

Guide:Sarah Ernst
Weather: Sunny and warm.
Total Species: 43
Species List: Pied-billed Grebe, Double-crested Cormorant, Anhinga, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Tricolored Heron, Little Blue Heron, Snowy Egret, Green Heron, Turkey Vulture, Osprey, Bald Eagle, Peregrine Falcon (juvenile), Clapper Rail, Black-necked Stilt, Greater Yellowlegs, Lesser Yellowlegs, Laughing Gull, Least Tern, Belted Kingfisher, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Great Crested Flycatcher, Blue Jay, American Crow, Fish Crow, Tree Swallow, Purple Martin, Barn Swallow, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Wren, Marsh Wren, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Eastern Bluebird, Northern Mockingbird, Brown Thrasher, European Starling, Pine Warbler, Northern Cardinal, Red-winged Blackbird, Boat-tailed Grackle, Orchard Oriole, House Finch.

Birders:Pete Nelson, Adam Nelson, Scott Nelson, and Paul Roberts
Total Species:  52
Species List:  Brown Pelican, Double-crested Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Tri-colored Heron, Green Heron, Red-breasted Merganser, Turkey Vulture, Osprey, Bald Eagle, Red-tailed Hawk, Spotted Sandpiper, Laughing Gull, Mourning Dove, Chimney Swift, Belted Kingfisher, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Pileated Woodpecker, Great Crested Flycatcher, Eastern Kingbird, Blue-headed Vireo, Blue Jay, Brown-headed Cowbird, Baltimore Oriole, American Crow, Fish Crow, Purple Martin, Tree Swallow, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Wren, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Blue-gray, Gnatcatcher, Eastern Bluebird, Brown Thrasher, Cedar Waxwing, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Yellow-throated Warbler, Pine Warbler, Black-and-white Warbler, Song Sparrow, White-Throated Sparrow, House Finch, Northern Cardinal, Red-winged Blackbird, Boat-tailed Grackle, Common Grackle, Orchard Oriole.

Photo by Kiawah resident Paul Roberts 

First caught and fitted with a collar in February on Kiawah’s Sora Rail Road, this adult male spends a lot of time on Seabrook as well as the west end Kiawah, and he has even visited the nature center! Bobcats are usually shy and secretive animals, so cats like our easy-going male visitor have adapted surprisingly well to island development. The GPS collars help biologists to understand why they have been so successful. Web page header photo by Jamie Rood.

Guide: Sarah Ernst
Weather: Partly cloudy, humid, low 70s, very windy on beach, very wet conditions from yesterday’s storm
Total: 48

Species List: Pied-billed Grebe, Brown Pelican, Double-crested Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Little Blue Heron, Green Heron, Black Vulture, Turkey Vulture, Lesser Scaup (Probably, two females in flight and hard to confirm. They looked a little like blue-winged teal due to the white mark between the beak and eye, but were way too large.), Osprey, Red-tailed Hawk, Clapper Rail, Common Moorhen, Black-bellied Plover, Wilson’s Plover, Semipalmated Plover, Killdeer, American Oystercatcher, Willet, Red Knot, Sanderling, Laughing Gull, Royal Tern, Forster’s Tern, Least Tern, Great Horned Owl, Downy Woodpecker, American Crow, Fish Crow, Tree Swallow, Barn Swallow, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Wren, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Eastern Bluebird, Northern Mockingbird, European Starling, Cedar Waxwing, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Palm Warbler, Song Sparrow, Northern Cardinal, Red-winged Blackbird, Boat-tailed Grackle, House Finch. Photography buy Jamie Rood

Highlight of the Trip: American Bittern.  A shy and uncommon resident of marshes, bitterns are notoriously difficult to find.  We saw an American bittern right next to a tricolored heron (great for size comparison, so we could easily rule out least bittern and a juvenile green heron) along a pond edge; it stayed in view for about eight seconds and dissapeared into the reeds.  It was a life bird for me!

Species List: Pied-billed Grebe, Brown Pelican, Double-crested Cormorant, American Bittern,  Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Little Blue Heron, Tricolored Heron, White Ibis, Hooded Merganser, Turkey Vulture, Osprey, Clapper Rail, Common Moorhen, Black-bellied Plover, Piping Plover (2!), Greater Yellowlegs, Willet, Ruddy Turnstone, Sanderling, Dunlin, Laughing Gull, Ring-billed Gull, Herring Gull, Caspian Tern, Royal Tern, Forster’s Tern, Black Skimmer, Belted Kingfisher, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Eastern Phoebe, Blue Jay, American Crow, Fish Crow, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Wren, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Eastern Bluebird, Hermit Thrush, Northern Mockingbird, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Northern Cardinal, Song Sparrow.